The Victorian town of Inglewood had a strong community spirit in the late 1890s with mining and agriculture bringing great wealth to the region. With this background, it was hardly surprising that when a call came to develop its own defence system in the form of a militia, there was great support for the plan. Members of the Inglewood Rifle Club were among the first to become members of the Inglewood F Company of the Victorian Rangers but it later expanded to include any skilled male from the district.

Name: Cecil EwensDate: 1900-1901Unit: South Australian Busmen's CorpsLocation: South Africa

When the Boer War started in 1899, many young Australians made an instant decision to offer their services as soldiers, but actually getting into the various army units that were to head for South Africa wasn't as easy as you might expect.

Things were tough in Australia in the 1890s with little work available in the building trade, so Charles Alexander Haslett, faced with a number of debts, decided to leave his home in Sorrento, Victoria, and try his luck in South Africa, where he planned to make a fresh start.

Private Jack Kelly, from Tenterfield, NSW, was determined to take part in the Boer War. So keen was he to go that he defied his father's wishes and then "bought himself out" of his Artillery unit because it was not going to the war.

When two brothers, Colin John and George McVinish, migrated to Australia from Scotland in the late 1800s they had no idea they would be starting a chain of events that would lead to members of their family taking part in virtually every conflict involving Australian troops that followed.

Private Walter Pope served with the NSW Mounted Rifles during the Boer War, surviving many battles, but like many of his countrymen he caught dysentery, bronchitis and rheumatic fever before being repatriated.

Name: James ThomasDate: 1901Unit: New South Wales BushmenLocation: Pretoria, South Africa

Major James Francis Thomas earned world fame at the South African War in 1902 for the defence of Harry "The Breaker" Morant, but long before that he was known, in Tenterfield, for his sense of justice and fair play

Hugh Anderson was a prolific letter writer. Throughout his time in Gallipoli and France, and when in hospital, first in Greece and later in England, he wrote regularly to his mother and father and to other relatives with vivid descriptions of places he had visited and the horrendous fighting in which he had been involved.

Life is full of coincidences but when Trooper Geoffrey Huie Armstrong helped to unload Australian-bred horses in the Middle East after the Gallipoli campaign, he certainly did not expect to find one from his home town, let alone from the very station on which he was born.

Nat Barton was born at Wellington in 1894, the third son of Charles and Annie Barton. He spent most of his life growing up on their property, Nanima, close to Wellington, which his parents had bought in 1894.

Name: Vivian BenjafieldDate: 1915–1918Unit: Australian Army Medical CorpsLocation: Gallipoli, Middle East and England

Major Vivien Benjafield of the Australian Army Medical Corps became something of a legend in his own lifetime. He served throughout World War I as a surgeon and administrator in Gallipoli, on hospital ships, in Alexandria and later in England before being invalided back to Australia.

Jim Bolton almost didn't make it to the fighting war. Apart from the threat of an attack by the German ship Emden, while travelling to the Middle East, he survived a near miss when a colleague's rifle accidentally discharged and the resulting shower of metal pieces caused by the bullet, hit him in several places.

The Boyden family certainly carried out its fair share of duty for Australia with four brothers fighting in World War I and a fifth in World War II. Amazingly all survived although three were wounded and one became a prisoner of war.

The troops at Gallipoli often had to rely on their mates in times of great duress. It wasn't something you stopped to think about - you just took it for granted - you'd look after them and they'd look out for you.

Lt William Britt seemed to be leading a charmed life when he survived the landing at Gallipoli. Bullets passed through his hat and several parts of his clothes. One broke his favourite pipe while another grazed his wrist, but still he fought on.

Corporal Gordon Burden wrote lots of letters home describing the sights and events that occurred while travelling by ship from Australia to England in 1918. He was only 18 but had a great eye for detail which he put into both his letter writing and his photography.

Religion played an important part in the lives of many families whose sons enlisted to serve in World War I. Many a young soldier went off with the pleas of mothers and fathers to lead pure lives ringing in their ears.

The propaganda of the time pressured all young men to do their duty for King and country. On 8 September 1916, Tom Carmody enlisted in the AIF and sailed for England on the Ulysses A38 on 25 October 1916.

Public reaction to the death of enemy troops is not always predictable. Sapper Charlie Clark, for instance, witnessed the shooting down of a Zeppelin in London during World War I but was horrified at the reaction of the press and public.

Hector Creswick was a keen photographer so it was not surprising he should take his camera with him when he went to war - even though this was forbidden. But even he couldn't have anticipated the dramatic situations he would be recording on film.

Les Dinning was quick to sign up for World War I, enlisting at Kensington in Sydney on 31 August 1914. After initial training he found himself on a ship bound for the Middle East with the 1st Battalion.

The air was filled with the sound of thundering hoofs and the shouts of exhilaration from hundreds of young Australian Light Horse troops as they raced across the desert towards the Turkish lines at Beersheba.

Alan Garden abandoned his law degree at Melbourne University to sign up for World War I. He joined with his mates, Bill Woodfull (who later captained the Australian cricket team), and Bill Leggatt (who became Sir William Leggatt, Agent-General for Victoria in London) and Norm (no other details are known).

Joe Goodall was a saddler by trade, an extremely useful skill during World War I. He helped make and repair the harnesses for the horses that pulled the big guns of the 8th Battery, 3rd Australian Field Artillery.

Mrs Mary Green was busy at home on 9 January 1917 when she heard a knock on her front door. Like hundreds of mothers before and after her, her heart missed a beat when she found the local parish priest on the step.

The Handcock family of Myrrhee in Victoria certainly paid a high price for their loyalty in World War I. Charles and Harriet Handcock had nine sons and would have been proud that eight of them served in the war.

When George Handsley signed up to join the Light Horse Regiment in Toowoomba in August 1915 he had visions of fighting the great fight against the enemy hordes. What he didn't realise was that he was destined to spend two and a half years as a prisoner of the Turks under the most appalling conditions.

Two brothers who lived 12,000 miles (20,000km) apart at the beginning of World War I combined to provide a home from home for Grenfell troops sent to Europe, and in doing so formed a bond which is as strong as ever today.

Private Ernest Hewish from Adelaide, South Australia, couldn't wait to get to the war. Despite seeing the casualty lists from Gallipoli, or maybe because of them, he signed up in May 1915 with the Australian Army Medical Corps. He was just 17.

When a young Australian Private, Peter Horan of the 15th Field Ambulance, met a young English WAAC while strolling by the sea at Boulogne, France, in 1917, he had no idea that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Major Eric Hutchinson was a doctor but he was also a hero. He survived numerous shellings, was eventually wounded in France and evacuated but then returned to the front to continue tending the wounded.

William Thomas Leggett, who hailed from Goulburn in New South Wales, is thought to have been one of the first Australians killed in fighting on the Western front in World War I. He was certainly the first to die in the defence of Ypres, in Belgium.

Norman Lovett was well known in the Wellington area. His father Fred was the Maryvale Public School teacher and Norman had spent much of his life there. He had followed in his father's footsteps and was also a teacher in charge of the tiny Bearbung School near Gilgandra when he enlisted on 23 August 1914.

There is a definite skill to writing letters of sympathy to the families of servicemen and women killed in battle. Some people are good at it while others find it a chore they would rather not have to deal with.

Private Bill Manly was used to collecting wounded Australian soldiers from the battlefield. It was his job while working for the 13th Australian Field Ambulance at the dressing station in Pozières Woods on the Somme.

Lt Thomas Henry Martin of Harrietville, Victoria, sailed for Europe on the RMS Orontis with the 21st Battalion AIF at the end of March 1916, passing through Ceylon and on to Egypt, heading for France. Five months later he was dead.

Harley Matthews was a poet, journalist, playwright and wine maker who served at Gallipoli and was later imprisoned in Australia for sedition. But his most unusual role was surely that of an artist's model.

David Sharp Mills, a volunteer fire brigade captain who lived in Parramatta, NSW, must have wondered often enough where he had gone wrong. His wife died following a miscarriage, two of his sons were killed in World War I and his third son died of septicaemia. Only his daughter survived to reach the age of 83.

Like many other young Australians, Percy Nuttall signed up with the AIF in October 1914 without telling his parents. He finally got around to writing to his father from camp in Adelaide, to try and explain, hoping that his father would understand.

The battle for Mouquet Farm, just north of Pozières in France, was shrouded in controversy. Thousands of Australian troops died over a period of several weeks while the farm was taken and abandoned a number of times.

Private William O'Brien came from a hard-working family. His father died in 1906, just a few years after establishing a flour mill in Toowoomba. This left his mother with 10 children to look after and a business to run.

An Aborigine who was the sole survivor of a brutal attack in which his entire family was massacred in 1880, was brought up by a white family in country New South Wales and later fought for Australia in World War I.

Corporal Wilfred Ramsden was not one to take no for an answer. He broke all the rules, went AWL in Egypt by boarding a ship bound for Europe so he could join a fighting unit, was awarded two medals for bravery and died just two days before the end of World War I.

Corporal Wilfred Ramsden went to war to fight the enemy. To achieve his aim he often broke the rules. He went AWL in Egypt to board a ship bound for Europe so he could join a fighting unit, spent time under arrest, finally went in to battle and was awarded two medals, but died just two days before the end of the war.

There are all sorts of heroes in wars. Some fearlessly charge enemy positions without thought for their own safety, others quietly get on with the job while bullets and shells explode all around them. Les Dinning was one of the latter.

Not many privates in the Australian Imperial Force would have a Colonel hold up the taking of an official group photograph while he climbed to the top position, but that's exactly what happened to Private David John Simcock in Egypt in 1915.

Ronald Sinclair lived for letters from home, and wrote plenty himself during his three and a half years away at war. In particular, he wrote regularly to his long-time girl friend, Adelene, telling her about his feelings, the war and his philosophy on all sorts of matters.

Letters from home were among the most important elements in the lives of troops in World War I. They brought news of the family and friends and helped provide a little brightness in the lives of those fighting for "King and Country".

Laurie Whitham had reason to remember 25 April 1915. He was there at Gallipoli and was 'lucky' enough to get a wound that was serious enough to take him out of the firing line without being life threatening.

Shortly after disembarking from the Taroona on arrival in Port Moresby with the 8th Platoon, 55th Battalion AIF, in May 1942, Lionel Abeshouse found himself marching 20 km to camp, carrying full equipment.

One of the most important products during World War II was flax. It was used for all sorts of clothing and equipment from coats to parachute harnesses, from ropes to tarpaulins and even to cover gliders used to transport troops.

Hilton Beal became an expert wheeler-dealer in New Guinea during World War II. He discovered he had a talent for making jewellery out of all sorts of spare bits and pieces - and there was a ready market among the well-paid US servicemen

Much of the focus during any war is on the family members who have gone away to serve their country. Service men and women tell of their longing to receive mail from home and how excited they are when it arrives.

Being shot at by planes and having bombs dropped near you was a fairly common occurrence in New Guinea during World War II, as Tony Booth would be the first to tell you. But when the bullets and the bombs came from Australian aircraft, it was a bit hard to take.

Spies are a real menace during war, particularly when they are members of your own side. You just don't expect to find someone who you have shared a yarn or a beer with, passing information to the enemy.

Cpl Arthur Boyden had a big family reputation to live up when he served in World War II. Four of his brothers had fought in World War I. Now, here he was with the 1/12th Royal Australian Engineers in Malaya waiting for the Japanese to attack.

When World War II broke out on 3 September 1939, Jack Brinkworth was living in Gresford. On his first day off work, 7 September, he rode his bike the 28 miles to Maitland to the Drill Hall and put his name and address on the notice board to enlist, the second person to do so.

After Keith Morris Brown was wounded while fighting in the Western Desert he was subsequently discharged from the Army in 1942 as "medically unfit for service". He soon decided civilian life was not for him so he signed up with the RAAF instead.

Living in a house that looked out over the Derwent River and having access to the many trading ships that unloaded their cargoes in Hobart, it was hardly surprising that Brian Cane became a merchant seaman

A one-sided secret sea-battle raged in the New South Wales north coast waters during one fortnight in mid 1943. Much wreckage and Australian blood washed on to beaches during this battle. Because of strict Government censorship laws, it became a secret war, with most Australians being unaware of the extent of the damage being wrought by marauding Japanese submarines.

Following a concerted German attack on Yugoslavia and Greece, with a force of 15 divisions backed by a powerful formation of Stuka dive bombers and Messerschmitts, the Allied troops were forced to withdraw from Greece.

Harry Dorrington was a private in the Australian Army Personnel Depot serving in Malaya during World War II. He was taken prisoner along with thousands of Allied troops and others and spent the rest of the war until he died on 12 September 1944, as a POW in Borneo.

Sylvia Duke and Sophie Healy were good friends and colleagues. So when Sylvia was posted abroad as a Sister in the 6th Australian General Hospital in Greece it was only natural they should stay in touch.

Corporal John Hurst Edmondson, who was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in the Siege of Tobruk. He was the first Australian to be awarded a VC in World War II.

Brian Evans was 18 when he joined the AIF in May 1945 so was a bit late to take part in the fighting. Instead he volunteered for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) and found himself sailing aboard HMAS Duntroon with other volunteers in March 1946.

Mick Ey could regard himself as extremely lucky while flying in the Middle East as a wireless operator/air gunner with 454 Squadron. After all, it's not many people who can say they were involved in five crashes and still lived to tell the tale.

The men of the 2/1 Battalion could hardly believe their eyes when they crossed the Aliakmon River in Greece in April 1941 after retreating from Veria Pass. There in the snow and ice were two Australian padres offering them a hot cup of tea or coffee.

The Berry family of West Tamar in Tasmania certainly did their fair share in World War II with five brothers and a sister all serving in the forces. They all survived, although not without a few narrow escapes, according to a newspaper article probably printed in 1944.

The flying boat, in which Warrant Officer Ray Goode was a tail gunner and radio operator, disappeared without trace with its entire crew after being attacked by six Junkers JU88 fighter aircraft somewhere off the coast of South Wales.

Most servicemen like a drink and airmen are no exception so when a group of young RAAF personnel were waiting at the Sandgate Embarkation Depot in 1944 to board the USS Sea Ray due to sail for Morotai the next morning, they were keen to let their hair down.

Sister Vera Hamilton was nursing at Scott Memorial Hospital at Scone, New South Wales, when war was declared and immediately enlisted but it was to be 12 months before she got the call. Once it came it was but a few days before she was on a boat heading for the Middle East.

During World War Two I spent much of my flying career in the Royal Australian Air Force as a wireless operator-gunner in Catalina flying boats, from mid-1941 to 1943, mostly covering the South Pacific theatre.

On the night of the 27th/28th August 1943, Fl Lt Lionel Jeffries RAAF, was the pilot of a four-engined Stirling bomber aircraft on a raid to the railway marshalling yards of the city of Nuremburg, Germany.

When the Allies invaded Sicily early in 1943, a number of Australian corvettes were used as mine sweepers to enable the landing craft to reach the shore safely. Among them were HMAS Maryborough and her sister ships Ipswich and Lismore.

Fl Lt Charles Lark applied to join the RAAF in December 1939 but it was more than a year later when he was finally signed up. While waiting, he received lessons in trigonometry, arithmetic, algebra, mechanics, physics and the Morse code.

Fighting in New Guinea produced all sorts of problems, not the least being the terrain over which the troops had to travel. Heavy rain often turned tracks into quagmires and made progress hazardous to say the least.

It's not often that the troops want to thank the airmen who are dropping bombs on them but this certainly happened in New Guinea during World War II. It helped that the 'bombs' were actually parcels of newspapers and ice cream destined to cheer up the men fighting in the steaming jungles below.

Early in World War II the authorities realised there would be a need to have earth moving machines and equipment with experienced operators to be used in various war zones including the Middle East and the Pacific.

Elizabeth Agar [now Marshall] was visiting England when World War II broke out. She decided her duty lay in war service and joined the Women's Royal Naval Service (Wren) in July 1940 where she was trained to intercept German naval signals.

The thought of spending five weeks travelling through the beautiful Greek countryside would make most people's eyes light up but when Sgt R A 'Snow' McBain and his mate Vic Shannon had that experience, things were a bit different.

Alan Murnane, who joined the Army as a bandsman in 1940, kept a diary throughout the war. After travelling in Australia with the band, he was posted towards the end of 1941 to Ambon in the Dutch East Indies, where he discovered a new talent - as a stretcher bearer.

Despite being only 15 years old, Tom Murphy was so keen to go to war that he borrowed his older brother's birth certificate and put up his age. His big problem was that he only looked 15 and he was turned away by several recruitment officers.

A chance meeting on a train journey changed the course of Joyce Neal's career. She had been in the WAAAF for a year and was returning to her base in South Australia after some home leave in Perth when she got chatting to other girls on the train.

The Australian passenger ship MV Kanimbla had an extraordinary war. She was converted into an armed merchant carrier in September 1939 and seconded to the Royal Navy. Apart from capturing 22 enemy ships she also steamed more than 470,000 miles during the war, a record for any ship flying the White Ensign.

To offset the boredom of life in prisoner of war camps, particularly those in the European conflict, a huge amount of effort went into physical and creative activity – apart from the many escape plans.

It was in the fourth year of World War II. The oiler on my watch on a merchant navy vessel went missing for the entire time we were in a Canadian port. He showed up on the last morning just before we were due to leave.

When Sgt Jack O'Donnell was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore, he was, quite naturally, rather depressed about life. But rather than give in to melancholy, he decided to document his experiences as best he could.

In 1941 when Australia was threatened with Japanese invasion, the call came for women to take up the men's jobs to release them for the front line, and they were also challenged to join the armed services.

Francis Pickup was a signaller on board HMAS Canberra in August 1942 when the ship, along with HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart (light cruiser 6 inch guns) plus a large American Amphibian Force of aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, destroyers and transports, with accompanying support vehicles, was involved in the Battle of the Solomon Islands.

Name: John QuinnDate: 1939–1946Unit: Various DEMSLocation: The high seas

John Quinn certainly had an interesting and exciting war. As a Petty Officer gunner he served on a variety of Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS) which regularly carried troops and supplies to and from war zones and even brought prisoners of war to Australia.

The Kelly Gang was one of the most unusual Allied fighting units during World War II. Made up from an assortment of 70 or so men mainly from C Squadron, 6th Division Cavalry, they rode on captured horses in the Syrian campaign.

Coastwatchers in the Pacific played an important role in the Allied victory in World War II. They defied the odds and constant danger of being caught by the Japanese, to feed vital information to the Allies.

Sapper George Vincent Sarto Rudge was one of the Rats of Tobruk. He was also a poet with an eye for detail who spent much of his spare time recording in his diaries the events in which he was involved.

Name: Bruce SamuelsDate: 1942–1945Unit: 15 Line of CommunicationsLocation: Western Australia

Communications in the vast open areas of northern Australia have always been a challenge but a hardy band of wireless operators spent much of World War II doing their best to cover the area, often living in primitive conditions as they scanned the skies for enemy aircraft.

Cliff Secombe was with the 2nd/1st Pioneer Battalion in Libya under attack from German aircraft. He had just received a welcome letter from his girl friend Louie Pritchard and was writing in reply on 29 April 1941 when 'Jerry' sent his dive-bombers over once again.

When war broke out in 1939, Myrtle Sheppard (Nunn), like many other young Australians, wanted to do her bit for the war effort. She thought she'd like to be a nurse, but her mother (whose husband was a World War I veteran and had died when Myrtle was two years old) was reluctant to let her daughter join up because it would mean she'd be posted away from her home area.

Since time immemorial soldiers have filled in idle moments with an astonishing variety of activities, ranging from playing board games to making handcrafts using whatever material was readily available.

Flying Officer Athol Snook was a survivor. In 1942, he spent 47 days at sea in a lifeboat sailing from Java to Australia with 11 comrades to escape from the Japanese. Then, on a fateful night in New Guinea later that year, his plane was grounded while the rest of the squadron went to attack Japanese shipping. Three planes failed to make it.

Name: Bill StanburyDate: 1943–1946Unit: 15th Field Company, Royal Australian EngineersLocation: New Guinea

Sapper Bill Stanbury had an eventful war. It started off badly in December 1942 when, after being refused pre-embarkation leave, he went Absent Without Leave, in a bid to see his wife as she was about to give birth to their first child.

Name: The Highland TrioDate: 1939–1945Unit: CiviliansLocation: New South Wales

The skirl of the bagpipes and the beating of the drum have been the inspiration for many a Scots unit during various wars. But when the pipes and drums were played by three attractive young ladies during World War II, it was to entertain the troops rather than lead them into battle.

Many great and lasting friendships were formed amongst the men and women who served in Australia's armed forces over the years. Sadly, many such friendships ended suddenly with the death of one or more of the individuals in battle.

Keeping the troops fed is never easy but when you have to dodge falling bombs and machine gun raids by enemy fighter planes, not to mention overcoming the shortage of water and food, then it is doubly difficult.

Terry Whatman decided at an early age that he was going to be in the Army. He joined the Militia as a 16-year-old and served for three years with the 59th Hume Regiment before answering the call to enlist.

Milton Cottee saw his first aircraft in 1931 or 1932 when he was five or six as it flew over his home at Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales. It turned out to be the mail plane flying to Brisbane.

Having lied about his age to join the Army in 1942, Dick Turner was serving in New Guinea when the truth was discovered. He was only 16 and had told the recruiting officer he was two years older than that. Of course he was sent home.

Private Michael O'Dea was called up for National Service in 1965 when his birth date was pulled out of the hat. But unlike many of his colleagues he didn't go to Vietnam. Instead he went to Borneo where Indonesian guerillas were infiltrating Malaysia.

Private Michael O'Dea was called up for National Service in 1965 when his birth date was pulled out of the hat. But unlike many of his colleagues he didn't go to Vietnam. Instead he went to Borneo where Indonesian guerillas were infiltrating Malaysia.

Private Michael O'Dea was called up for National Service in 1965 when his birth date was pulled out of the hat. But unlike many of his colleagues he didn't go to Vietnam. Instead he went to Borneo where Indonesian guerillas were infiltrating Malaysia.

Private Michael O'Dea was called up for National Service in 1965 when his birth date was pulled out of the hat. But unlike many of his colleagues he didn't go to Vietnam. Instead he went to Borneo where Indonesian guerillas were infiltrating Malaysia.

Friction between Indonesia and the newly created Malaysia forced the Australian Government to come out in support of Malaysia in 1963. Australia introduced high-speed patrol boats to intercept any seaborne infiltrators.

Friction between Indonesia and the newly created Malaysia forced the Australian Government to come out in support of Malaysia in 1963. Australia introduced high-speed patrol boats to intercept any seaborne infiltrators.

Friction between Indonesia and the newly created Malaysia forced the Australian Government to come out in support of Malaysia in 1963. Australia introduced high-speed patrol boats to intercept any seaborne infiltrators.

Friction between Indonesia and the newly created Malaysia forced the Australian Government to come out in support of Malaysia in 1963. Australia introduced high-speed patrol boats to intercept any seaborne infiltrators.

During the Vietnam War wounded were generally speedily evacuated by helicopter. If war movies are to be believed, scarcely has a soldier been hit before a medical evacuation helicopter appeared over the horizon. But sometimes the reality was quite different. This recording shows how difficult medical evacuation could be

I was fortunate that I'd had more than 16 years experience as a journalist in Australia, Britain and Papua New Guinea before becoming an ABC News correspondent in south east Asia in December 1967. I was also fortunate in having had quite a bit of military experience as a school cadet, a National Serviceman, as an NCO in the Papua New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, and as a Reserve officer at PNG Command Headquarters. Many of my fellow correspondents, including a few Australians, were far less experienced in journalism - and some had no military training whatsoever.

This is to inform you that as of …………………………. 196 , a certain mudhound water-soaked and slightly crazy individual known as …………….. is leaving our little City of ………………… securely nestled among the jungles and rice paddies, located in the Southern part of a semi-tropic country in the Far East known as The Republic of Vietnam.

The withdrawal of forces from Vietnam was drawing to a conclusion in April 1975 when the Australian Government made a decision to evacuate some war orphans from the vicinity of Saigon before they could fall into the path of the advancing North Vietnamese troops.

When Private Guy Watkins was wounded in Vietnam, the local paper in Tasmania reported he had been shot by a Viet Cong. But in a letter to his father written some days after the incident, it turns out Guy Watkins was hit by "friendly fire".

Marine artist Ian Hansen has a deep love of the sea and ships. He began painting them in water colours when he was eight and graduated to oils at the age of 11. He joined the Royal Australian Navy at 15 and served for 12 years, including service on HMAS Sydney in 1967-68 during the Vietnam War.

When Yasser Arafat made his first visit to the Sinai since his expulsion from the area in the 1960s, Sgt David Hartshorn was on duty with the Australian contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) known as Operation Mazurka.

In 1989-90, Lieutenant Anthony McWatters of the Australian Army was on a training post with the British Army in Germany when he went on active service on operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the 1991 Gulf War.